Why Kmart Still Sucks, Losing Stores, Staff, Customers

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I have been investing since I had my first real job. I am an omnivorous reader, foodie, cinephile, and Buffett admirer (both Jimmy and Warren). Working at newspapers was my passion but my new path is informing and entertaining my readers on the web.

Michael Kovac/Kmart/Getty ImagesAdam Levine has a new fashion line at Kmart.
In "Rain Man," autistic savant Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman) said it best in 1988: "Kmart sucks." Almost a quarter century later, that catchphrase rings true as Kmart closes more stores, lets go more employees and loses more customers. Kmart and Sears are both part of Sears Holdings (SHLD). It was brought out of its 2002 bankruptcy by hedge fund whiz Eddie Lampert with the promise of a turnaround,

The Writing on the Walmart

The first Kmart -- founded in 1962, originally part of the Kresge chain -- preceded the first Walmart (WMT) by only four months, its death sentence signed at its birth. In the 1960s, Kmart grew to 600 stores, but it has since barely doubled that number. Walmart, meanwhile, has grown to 11,000 stores in 27 countries by perfecting its aggressive strategy of negotiating its suppliers down to bare-bone margins to get those everyday low prices.

Kmart limps along, the Jonah of discount chains, never earning the status of J.C. Penney (JCP), Target (TGT), Kohl's (KSS), Macy's (M) and Sears. Those blue light specials began in 1965 and have continued on and off, but Kmart has still struggled. It remains one of the larger U.S. mass market retail chains.

Last holiday season Kmart sought customers but got controversy instead with a racy holiday ad for its private label Joe Boxer underwear. It has tried other similarly edgy ads and fashion lines by celebrities Adam Levine and Nicki Minaj, but America's not buying it. At least not young or rich America. Of these big boxes, Kmart has the oldest and poorest trending shoppers.

And while J.C. Penney spent a fortune upgrading its stores under CEO Ron Johnson, Kmart started looking down at heel in the early '80s, prompting the "Rain Man" quote. Much like shopping at Sears, the attitude is still careworn.

A recent Friday afternoon visit to one Kmart -- in an upscale neotraditional town where townhouses rent for $3,000 -- revealed rusty shelving and fixtures and a rundown feel, especially in comparison to J.C. Penney or Kohl's. Salesclerks outnumbered customers by almost two to one, but not once was I asked if I needed help. Although clothes littered the floors, sales associates were hanging out or aimlessly wandering. In one hour, I saw one lone employee straightening shoes. And why should they bust their butts when annually hundreds see their jobs disappear?

Shop Their Way? Or No Way?

More and more, Kmart and Sears are depending on their joint Shop Your Way shopper loyalty program and online and mobile sales, offering in-store pickup of items bought online at either website. According to the recent chairman's letter to shareholders, Shop Your Way comprises 72 percent of sales at Sears and Kmart in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The company plans to phase out promotional pricing, like those blue light specials, in favor of solely rewarding loyalty points. J.C. Penney learned the hard way that its middle income shoppers love coupons and promotions, so Kmart is taking a decided risk with this strategy. (Kohl's has its coupons, and Walmart its everyday low pricing.)

Kmart depends highly on some Sears brands -- like Craftsman, Diehard and Kenmore -- to bring in customers. But it just can't compete with the private label brand king Walmart or Target with its more popular and trendy private label brands.

Maybe Sears Holdings doesn't want to throw good money after bad in Kmart's case. Lampert may boast in his blog about turnaround progress, but there is also a page on the corporate website dedicated to the sale and lease of store properties. After closing 172 stores in 2012, the company recently announced the closing of 80 stores this year. It didn't specify which were Kmarts but added there would likely be more closings of underperforming stores. That could be plenty, as its last earning release showed Kmart same-store sales were down 2.2 per cent, an improvement over the previous year's 4.6 percent, but the loss to Sears Holdings' shareholders in 2013 was a remarkable $1.4 billion.

Etailer Who Shall Not Be Named

Lampert admits in his blog that shopping behavior has changed thanks to an etailer who shall not be named (like Voldemort in the Harry Potter series), but it's obviously Amazon.com (AMZN). He also promises a rapid transition to a digital and social platform to service those Internet-savvy shoppers. Analysts hint more darkly that Kmart as a bricks-and-mortar shopping presence may sooner rather than later be as fictional as "Rain Man's" Oak Street Kmart in Cincinnati.

Walmart and Target have in-store pickup, flashy websites and apps, so whatever competitive advantage Kmart has seems to rest solely on the shoulders of its Shop Your Way members. Possibly, the Kmart blue light special may move to the virtual cloud, but Kmart as a physical retailer isn't long for this world.

You've been eyeing that fancy new car (or boat), or you've had your eye on upgrading your home, but you haven't been able to swing the down payment. Well, now you've got the money -- right?

Wrong. Just because you can now pony up a down payment, that doesn't mean you can afford the monthly payments you'll have for many years. By using your raise as a down payment on a purchase you still can't technically afford, you're locking yourself into years of unnecessary stress.

What if you're a renter? Sure, you could move into an apartment that costs $150 more a month. But that will be one more "permanent" expense on your budget. You can't easily get out of a lease if you change your mind, lose your job or decide you want to make a career shift.

Ask yourself if you really need a "better" apartment, or if you have all the space you need now -- in which case, you can use that extra cash each month on other things you really do need.

Now that you're in the money, you may be tempted to live the high life (or, at least, a higher life). Lots of people fall into this trap, and it's known as lifestyle inflation -- upgrading your standard of living with every pay raise so that you never use the money for more sensible things, like saving for retirement or paying down your credit card debt.

It's easy to feel the siren call of dinners at fancy restaurants, huge flat-screen TVs, and golf club memberships -- which seem like must-haves now that you're earning more. But making your lifestyle cushier every time your income rises is a vicious cycle, and it's a lot harder to downgrade to your former lifestyle than you may think. Don't feel compelled to up your spending just because you can.

OK, so you realize you shouldn't buy a fancy living room set or spring for a massive flatscreen -- but what about renting to own? You may not be able to afford to buy these things, but renting to own seems like it would be a decent alternative. Right?

Wrong. While the monthly payments at rent-to-own stores may seem reasonable, what you pay in the long run for a new Xbox or stainless steel refrigerator is much more than it would be if you purchased the item outright. For example, Consumer Reports in 2011 calculated that a Toshiba (TOSBF) laptop that cost $612 to buy outright would cost $1,872 at a rent-to-own store. Just like you shouldn't charge items you can't afford to buy, financing them through a rent-to-own agreement is a road to nowhere.

Speaking of financing purchases you can't afford –- avoid using your windfall as an excuse to buy stock on margin.

What's a margin purchase? If you want to buy a lot of stock, but you don't have enough money to do so, you can open a margin account. You'll only be required to put down the initial margin (similar to a down payment), and the brokerage firm lends you the rest of the money.

The trouble with margin buying -- as with any scenario in which you're trying to get more than you can really afford -- is that the longer you hold onto to this stock, more money you'll fork over in interest. And if you can't make your payments? The securities in your margin account serve as collateral.

The returns (and what if the stock goes down?) aren't worth the risk. If you can't afford to buy the shares on your own, don't buy them.

Remember that deli you've always dreamed of owning (even though you have no idea how to run a deli)? Or your brother-in-law's big wacky idea that he promises just can't fail?

Don't use your new income boost to create the down payment on a business loan for these ideas.

Its one thing to invest in an existing business that's rapidly growing. But don't use your bonus or some accumulated pay raise as a down payment on a business loan for an untested business.

Make sure that if you do choose to invest in a business or business idea, it's one that demonstrates a solid future with solid returns. And remember: You won't lose your shirt if you stick with cash investing, rather than leveraged deals.

You're certainly welcome to loan money to a friend or relative if you want, but if you do, you'd better be ready to kiss that relationship goodbye. The instant someone owes you money, relationships become strained, resentments boil up, and things get weird fast.

If you want to help out someone who's going through a rough patch, you're both better off if you find another way of doing so, like helping them revise their résumé to find a new job or offering to bring some groceries to their house.

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annbartell

Kmart/Searsholding is fading fast. From what I've heard and read, the investment banker who bought it is slowly selling off assets to prop up the books and is not putting a dime back into the company. Maybe he'll try resurrecting it when he has nothing left to sell off, but I don't think so. They just keep closing stores, while pushing their stupid Shop Your Way Reward club. This encourages coupon clippers and people who want something for nothing to shop their stores, trying to get things for garage sale prices. Its like they don't want customers who are willing to pay a reasonable price for merchandise shopping their stores. Kmart/Sears smells like its on its last legs. I work at a Kmart part time and they are rotten to work for. I'm looking for something else and hope I find something soon.

If given a choice, I'll shop at KMart over Walmart any day. KMart has year-round layaway, Walmart only has it right before the holidays, only certain items, and they have a minimum item price, not just total balance (I think it's $20). Walmart never has enough cashiers available, lines are horribly long, unless you go at the right time of day/night (as in like 2 am). I saw one family begin to eat their box of popsicles in line because they were starting to melt. I've left my cart sit near a register in Walmart, leave and go to another store because the lines simply weren't moving.

We find more clothes we like at Kmart. When I had to buy a swim suit for the first time in decades to start swim lessons as an adult, I couldn't find anything suitable (pun not intended) at Walmart. Kmart had a couple choices. And with the rewards card, I got it at a huge discount.

Customer service varies from store to store, so you can't hold the entire chain responsible for on store.

Their customer service is appalling! I know from personal experience. They failed to ship me something then refunded me, asked me to pay full price and wait 5 days for a refund of the difference b/t sale price and the full price, even though I paid the sale price originally. I posted on their facebook page and they asked me to refrain from posting to their wall so I don't bog down their feed. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/kmart/posts/10154744801285593?comment_id=10154744873385593&offset=0&total_comments=5&notif_t=feed_comment

I would much rather shop at K-mart than Wal-Mart but lately I have been going to Target because the K-mart closest to me is very dirty ,clothes off racks thrown all over not neat at all the changing rooms are locked except one and of course no one manning it with clothes in it where people just try on stuff and no one returns to the racks,plenty of sales people but they seem to ignore you ,they actually walk in a different direction if they see you are looking for one..lol never get asked if you need help. Once when I tried to buy some cologne they did not have a key to get into the enclosed glass shelf they said it was lost ?? I left they did not seem to care ,the prices are never marked so when you get to the check stand is when you know how much the item is, if it is on sale the checkout clerk does not know and has to look it up , bathrooms have been redone nice but it would be nicer if someone cleaned them . I had been shopping at K-mart since I was a teenager but they have changed at Target If a item is 2 for $10.on sale you have to buy 2 or you pay full price maybe $6 or $7 for one where at Target if its 2 for $10. and you buy one it will be $5. that is why I am no longer faithful to K-Mart . I like K-marts shoes , and clothing but the frustration is to overwhelming to shop there

I work at Big Kmart and I love my job. Our store is not going anywhere and I not only prefer working for Kmart then Walmart bur also prefer shopping at Kmart. They have started renovating and updating our store and daily we are winning back our old consumers because they are just tired of Walmart. Our merchandise holds up for years, where as, if you bought the same thing from Walmart it would not hold up. Most of Walmart's electronic merchandise is refurbished you are not getting a new one. Yes, most people are shopping of the internet now, but that is across the board for all retailers, just not Kmart. Internet sales have hurt all retailers!

I'll stop at K-Mart because it's convenient and nearby, but it is a sad place. Quiet as a tomb, mostly empty, and the store dressing rooms in the back are unmanned. Anyone can go back there with anything, I'm surprised half the store inventory isn't being smuggled out the door. K-Mart is good for drugstore items, underwear, sweatshirts and socks, and cheap kids clothes. Also one of the last places on earth that carry cheapie elastic-waist pull on slacks for old ladies, or for just wearing around the house. Not all of us are 18 year old stick insects who need stiletto boots and size 2 jeans costing $200.

The last K Mart I went into was down south about 6 years ago. The lights were lowered I guess to minimize the electric bill and there were fans blowing instead of air conditioning. Shelves were a mess. I could sense the low morale of the staff. I bet state run stores in the old Soviet Union must have been just like this.

It is VERY easy to go to YouTube and find the clip in Rainman where DUSTIN'S HOFFMAN'S character clearly says "Kmart Sucks" not Tom Cruise. I am really stunned someone would post something saying otherwise without checking first.